and once he decides on his approach, he goes all out....which explain why there was more cheerleadering than required back in 2002, and there is now intense Marching as the Antiwar Candidate in 2007. But those who are fooled into thinking that it is all about Edwards being converted are in for a rude awakening. No one can make a 180 on just about every stance there is ideologically just like that! It's not simply about a conversion on Iraq, its a conversion on courting the left vs. previously courting the moderates and conservative dems. One didn't work, so he has switched to another, although he never stopped running. I find it pretty transparently unbelievable!
Edwards'"election" strategery.....
Circa 2002- didn't work
Edwards gets in tune with rural voters.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
Date: September 11, 2002 | Author: Hurt, Charles
Edwards had hired the band to perform at a Washington fund-raiser for Ben Jones, who is running for Congress in Virginia. That's the same Ben Jones who played Cooter, the country mechanic in the 1980s good ol' boy TV hit "The Dukes of Hazzard."
The event was sponsored by Edwards' political action committee, New American Optimists, and is
part of a key strategy Edwards is rolling out in his 2004 campaign for president Aiming to buck a 20-year trend,
Edwards _ a Democrat _ is courting the conservative rural voters who are some of the Republican Party's most reliable. The effort could make some traditional Democrats a bit squeamish, however, because it embraces gun ownership rights and trumpets cultural passions such as NASCAR that might be viewed by some as unsophisticated.
Regardless of whether it succeeds,
the strategy is already being closely watched by top Democrats nationwide.
"He may love bluegrass and he may love NASCAR, but he's going to have to prove it. It's simply deceitful to try to present yourself in a way that doesn't match up with who you are."
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-91380449.htmlCirca 2007-Standing up to corporate America in an era of booming profits, however, may be
a well-timed strategy for Edwards in the Democratic primary. Much as he did as a trial lawyer making tens of millions representing the injured against corporate abuse,
the shrewd Edwards has figured out how to do well by siding with the little guy. While labor's membership has declined, its determination to wield its political clout has mushroomed over the past decade. In the two most recent elections, union money ranked at the top of independent expenditures, and union leaders tell Fortune they plan to exceed their record-breaking 2004 spending in the current election.
With that as the spark plug,
Edwards hopes his other assets - the appeal of his anti-war stance, a formidable campaign organization, and his experience as a presidential candidate - will enable him to surprise all those pundits betting on a two-way race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/05/14/100008849/index.htmEdwards' Poverty Center
strategy comes under question:
MAY 28, 2007
Up Front
Edited by Deborah Stead
John Edwards' Convenient Nonprofit During periods when they're out of office, many politicians arrange jobs for loyal former aides. After his unsuccessful 2004 Vice-Presidential bid, John Edwards came up with a creative approach: He started a nonprofit dedicated to fighting poverty. Rather than recruiting outside poverty experts, the Center for Promise & Opportunity became a perch for several once and future Edwards staff members.
The line between an ordinary nonprofit and a group formed to test the political waters can be blurry. But legally there's a big difference. Ordinary nonprofits aren't subject to rules on disclosing donors and limiting contributions; exploratory political groups are. No one has challenged the status of the Edwards center, and experts in the field say it may technically pass muster as an ordinary nonprofit. But at a minimum, it appears to have helped Edwards prepare for the 2008 Presidential race.
Edwards, a former Democratic senator from North Carolina, launched the center in 2005 at the Washington (D.C.) address of his PAC. The nonprofit raised $1.3 million in 2005, the only year for which data are available, and spent some of it on a national speaking tour for Edwards. It also spent $259,000 on consultants. The campaign declines to disclose the donors or consultants. The center is now defunct, and some of its key leaders are now aiding the Edwards campaign.
Edwards' team defends the center. "Obviously, some of the people who had worked for Senator Edwards in government and on his campaign continued to work with him in this effort," says spokesman Eric Schultz. "John Edwards and everyone involved is proud of the organization's work."
By Eamon Javers
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_22/c4036012.htm?chan=search Don't even get me started on his Iran saber rattling to Aipac that died a quiet death right here on the netroots after folks started deserting Edwards '08 in drove. The media never mentioned the divergence in his approach from an Iran Hawk to a "Like Wes" Iran diplomat in a matter of days, with the only thing that occured in between was netroot disapproving outrage. It was something to behold!
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